Re: Elaine/TJ
"I'm not really all that much like him except for the libido, though, am I?" There was a wistful little boy tone in his voice that TJ hated hearing. But, it always happened when he talked about his family or to them in these rare moments when they actually tried to talk. But, that was the problem. He hadn't felt like he had a place in the family, the world, for years. Even now, he was still stumbling along the side of the road more often than he was really on a path anywhere.
But, he could only stare at his mother for a long moment, trying to suppress the sudden surge of emotion. "No, Mama, I've never thought that. Ever." Always the opposite.
"You sound like Doug," he went on after a moment. She really did. The White House was everything. Hell, he shouldn't be surprised. It was unlikely his father had come back just before she declared her run by accident. His father could smell political action before it was thought of most of the time. "And maybe it's good enough for you, but it shouldn't be good enough for him. He's too young for his life to be over. Okay, the White House is out. But, there have to be other dreams, other things to want, things that maybe aren't as grand or public, but are still important. I'm not saying I've even made a choice to go or stay because I haven't and I won't without Doug and Travis' input. But, neither option should be considered without know what we want, knowing for sure what will make us happy because once we make that choice, there's no undo. If we stay, we can't change our minds and follow them later. And if we go, we can't change our minds and ask to be sent back here. Once it's done, it's done."